Authors, Readers, and Texts (MLI305)

Content

Learning outcome

Knowledge

Students will learn about: 

• the complex and varied relationships between authors, readers, and texts
• theories of interpretation and their relevance to literary and cultural studies
• reading and writing practices conducive to developing one's critical literacy
• key theoretical concepts and critical debates in contemporary literary studies
• significant literary-critical approaches and methodologies for interpretation-based disciplines across the arts and humanities

Skills:

By the end of the course, committed students will improve their ability to: 

• deploy critical theories and concepts to interpret to a variety of literary texts
• understand issues and questions raised by selected texts from modern literary theory and criticism
• summarize key concepts from modern literary theory and explain how they can be used when reading texts critically
• analyze a selection of literary texts from relevant theoretical and critical frameworks
• make informed choices about literary-critical and analytical approaches that may be useful when planning a Masters thesis on a topic in literary studies

General competence

By the end of the course, the students will be able to: 

• understand factors affecting literacy, reading practices, and the production of literary writing in contemporary contexts
• interpret texts critically by using modes of theoretical inquiry to develop relevant reading strategies
• participate in academic conversations about intellectually serious and formally skillful texts relevant to literary studies
• explain complex ideas orally and in writing

Required prerequisite knowledge

Recommended prerequisites

As a seminar in literary criticism and theory, students should have successfully completed several advanced-level BA courses in English-language literature and literary studies. 

This reading-intensive course presupposes that students have a solid background in literature and literary studies (or closely related specialized courses) that prepared them to engage with intellectually serious and formally skillful works of literature, theory, and criticism. 

Exam

Coursework requirements

• Attendance at seminars is obligatory (80 %). 
• Students who are absent from more than 20% of the seminar meetings will not be allowed to take the exam.
• The student must be present for at least 2/3 of the duration of the individual seminar meeting for attendance to be recorded.
• Pass two mandatory written assignments, one for each module (2400-3600 words for each). Complete two worksheets, updated weekly. (Students write brief glosses explaining "pull-quotes," passages they select from the critical and theoretical texts).

If an assignment is assessed as not approved on the first attempt, students are given one opportunity to submit a revised assignment.

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Programme coordinator:

Method of work

Weekly seminar. Discussion-based seminars (on-campus and online) with online exercises.

Students are expected to:

1. Spend at least 19 hours per week (approximately 16 out-of-class hours preparing for each 3-hour long seminar).
2. Attend every seminar, unless health reasons and/or an emergency make attendance impossible. Register any absences in the current Course Management System (CMS), Canvas.
3. Do the required reading before each seminar, keep up with weekly exercises on the syllabus, and come prepared to discuss the materials.
4. Contribute to seminar discussions, both verbally and in writing, and participate in course exercises, both during the seminar meeting and online in the CMS (Canvas).
5. Make use of online resources accessed via the CMS (Canvas).
6. Check the CMS (Canvas) and UiS student email daily for updates and information.

Limited number of places

 When you sign up on StudentWeb, you will see whether or not the course has already been filled.

Open for

Course assessment

Literature